There’s very little in my world that a foot massage and a thin crust, everything-on-it pizza won’t set right.
G.A. McKevett
Sometimes you just want a simple, healthy, all veggie pizza. As we’ve gotten more accustomed to eating at least one pizza a week, I’ve come to think of pizza less as a special occasion food and more of a quick, weeknight meal.
Pizza is a versatile food. You can use any veggies you have on hand and try new flavor combinations. The combo of peppers, mushrooms, kale, and tomatoes makes a flavorful meal, reminiscent of a visit to the farmers market. (We really miss our local market, but it’s been closed since March.)
We decided to make this a cheese-free pizza and roll the dough thin, a bit more like a flatbread. It was delicious, also quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
- favorite pizza dough
- handful cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and lightly salted
- handful white button mushrooms (we used 5), thinly sliced
- 1/2 bell pepper, cubed
- 1/3 white onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 2 stalks dino kale, rinsed well, pulled from the stem, and lightly massaged
- favorite red sauce (optional), you can also hand smash some cherry tomatoes, salt them and use as a base
- olive oil
- dried oregano
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Always start by heating your oven. I crank mine to 450° for at least 45 minutes before I plan to bake my pizza.
- Make your dough and let rest for at least 15 minutes. If using refrigerated dough, take it out of the fridge about 2 hours before you plan to use it. Cold dough won’t cooperate. It must be room temperature to roll out or hand toss properly.
- Chop your veggies and have everything ready before you start to cook. The French call this mise en place, putting everything in place. It makes the cooking part much more fun when you don’t have to stop in the middle and chop and dice while also keeping an eye on your pan. Do yourself a favor and chop it all before you start.
- Heat your frying pan on medium high heat for a few minutes so that it is really warm before you start to cook.
- Heat a glug of olive oil in the pan. Add onions, stirring to coat with oil. Set a timer for 2 minutes. Stir the onions occasionally.
- Add garlic and stir to combine. Stir again after 10, 20, and then 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, add your other veggies.
- Start with the veggies that will take the longest to cook. I added the bell pepper and mushrooms first. Stir to combine.
- After 2-3 minutes, add the kale. I tear it from the stalks and massage it a bit in my hands before adding it to the frying pan. This helps it break down, cooking faster and also digesting easier.
- Cook this mix for another 2-3 minutes, adding the sliced and salted tomatoes at the end. Turn off the heat and let the mix stay in the frying pan while you roll out your dough.
- Roll dough to desired size. Top with a scant amount of marinara sauce or smash some tomatoes, add a bit of salt, pepper, and oregano, and use your homemade sauce. You can also brush a bit of olive oil around the edges of the dough to create a darker crust.
- Top with veggie mix. Just let it slide right out of the frying pan and onto your pizza and sauce base.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Your baking time will vary depending on the true temperature of your oven and the size of your pizza. If you like a pizza with more sauce and thicker toppings, it’s a good idea to bake the crust and sauce for 2-3 minutes before adding additional toppings.
We really like this simple, earthy pizza. It feels like a health food because there are so many veggies. It’s a great way to get kids (and picky adults) to eat their veggies. I wasn’t a big fan of mushrooms until we started having them on pizza. Now I love the texture and bite they provide.
If you make this or any other vegan pizza, we’d love to know @52veganpizzas. Until next time, buon appetito.
52 Vegan Pizzas 